Christmas heat breaks O.C.records

Alex and Sarah Warren walk their dog Huey along the bluffs above Corona Del Mar on Wednesday. The Newport Beach couple were taking advantage of the Christmas day holiday and the warm weather.PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Leave the fireside and winter wonderland to the East Coasters. In Orange County, soaring Christmas Day temperatures, including a record in Santa Ana, drew families out of their living rooms and down to the waterfront.

The temperature reached 84 degrees Wednesday in Santa Ana, smashing the previous record of 77 set in 2011, and well above the average high of 69, said Erik Pindrock, a meteorologist with accuweather.com.

“It’s never gotten into the 80s on Christmas,” he said. “It’s not something you would expect at all.”

The warmest place in the nation on Christmas was Camp Pendleton just south of Orange County, which reached 86 degrees, said Pindrock.

Sweltering temperatures were caused by a ridge of high pressure situated over Southern California. “It parked over Southern California and is helping to keep the Pacific air mass off shore,” Pindrock said.

Meditating beachside, Patti Ceci, a Catholic-raised San Bernardino Valley native who has since moved to Las Vegas, said that she and her in-laws had exchanged gifts that morning. Afterward, she ventured out to find her church of sand and surf.

“The weather here is so beautiful,” said Ceci, who also owns a home in Newport Beach. “To be in the elements is where I feel connected to god, to the universe.”

By 10:30 a.m., with the sun still ascending, the local temperature cracked 80 degrees, and Erez Megidesh raced toward the water carrying surf boards with his wife, three kids and brother in tow.

Megidesh, a Woodland Hills resident, began surfing 22 years ago in Israel. Since moving to California in 2001, he has left his family behind on days he felt an itch to ride waves.

No longer, said his wife Ifta. Though she admitted to being a bit scared of the water, it was time to conquer her fear and make surfing a family event – perhaps even a new Christmas tradition for the Jewish household.

“I want them, my kids, to be like their dad,” Megidesh said, directing his children in Hebrew between sentences. “It’s a holiday for you, but for us it’s no work, just fun.”

Three miles south, Kenneth Kim and three of his four children cast their fishing lines off Balboa Pier. The night before, the Korean pastor had led his West Hills Presbyterian Church congregation in Christmas Eve prayers.

Christmas Day is about spending time with family, he said. In town to visit his sister, Kim said he sometimes missed the snowy Korean Christmases of his youth.

But the gorgeous Southern California day was perfect, he said, and waiting around for the mackerel to bite gave him plenty of time to reflect on what the holiday meant to him.

“We’ve stayed inside enough times,” Kim said. “This is good.”

Plus, whatever the family catches might become Christmas dinner, Kim said, envisioning a spiced and steamed fish served with rice, kimchi and Kalbi.

Alex and Sarah Warren walk their dog Huey along the bluffs above Corona Del Mar on Wednesday. The Newport Beach couple were taking advantage of the Christmas day holiday and the warm weather. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Liz Hansche broke out the skates on Christmas day to skate along the boardwalk near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ben Megidesh uses his teeth to keep his cousin Ofri Megidesh, 9 months, balanced on his shoulder at Newport Beach. The two were headed for a day at the beach and surfing with four other family members at 56th Street in Newport Beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Two surfers head to the water near 56th Street in Newport Beach on Christmas day. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Erez Megidesh helps his daughter Aleen, 6, get up to her knees on one of her first waves at Newport Beach. This was Aleen's second try at surfing. The two spent Christmas day with four other family members at 56th Street in Newport Beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Patti Ceci meditates on the sand at Newport Beach. Unusually warm weather on Christmas day brought many to the beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Faludi family had their boxer Jade out for some exercise at 56th Street in Newport Beach on Wednesday. Unusually warm weather on Christmas day brought many to the beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A woman paddleboards near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach on Christmas Day. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A tiki is dressed up as Santa at the Fun Zone Boat Company in Newport Beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kids climb on playground equipment at the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. Unusually warm weather on Christmas day brought many to the beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kids climb on playground equipment at the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. Unusually warm weather on Christmas day brought many to the beach. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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